The body of a young girl is found dumped on the roadside on the outskirts of Edinburgh. When pathologists examine the remains, they make a gruesome discovery: the silhouette of a doll carved in the victim’s skin. And when a macabre ragdoll is found nestled beside an abandoned baby, DI Luc Callanch learns the killer’s horrifying game plan – cutting out dolls from the flesh of his victims.

When a series of drug-users are brutally branded with the letter Z slashed into their foreheads, Luc and his partner Ava must risk both their jobs and their lives to unearth the truth. Is this the merciless work of the same assailant?

As the killer’s twisted games persist, Luc knows it’s only a matter of time before he strikes again. Can they stop another victim from being silenced forever – or is it already too late?

Hello, my friends.

I hope you are having a great time. Today, I have another review for you. I am a huge fan of Helen Fields and was very excited when I found Perfect Silence on NetGalley. It’s coming out in August this year. I absolutely love D.I.Callanach Series and the book number four certainly doesn’t lack my appreciation. So, let me tell you something about the Perfect Silence.

When I started reading the book, my first thought was, did I stumble upon a horror movie? Because the story begins with a young woman held as a prisoner who desperately tries to escape her kidnapper. Then her body has been found dumped with the silhouette of a doll carved in the victim’s skin. Very creepy! And when another woman, former drug addict, disappears leaving her baby behind, Ava and Luc are horrified to discover a doll made of human skin in the baby’s bed. The investigations shows that the skin belongs to the previous victim and they know that the mother of the baby is not just an escaped drug addict, but she is held prisoner of a serial killer!

In the same time a new drug is on the street market and many of the homeless drug users end up with slashed Z on their faces. They don’t know nothing about who attacked them or when. The new drug acts something like Rohypnol and someone is taking advantage of the poor homeless people on the street whom nobody believes anything, no one cares about them. But Ava and Luc do care. Every life matters! The investigation takes them to a private school where elite kids think that they are untouchable, where showing force and bullying the weaker means glory and prestige.

Ava, Luc, Lively, Salter, the whole team is here again. D.C.I. Ava Turner is the boss, but she is everything but bossy. She acts little bit more mature than in the previous books and she is not afraid to fight for what she thinks is right, even if that means losing her job. D.I. Luc Callanach is having a relationship now, there is a lovely woman with Spanish origin, and maybe this time he can put the false rape allegation behind and finally be the person he used to be. The two investigations seem not connected, but maybe they are. The police team is working hard on both. I liked the plot, loved the story. Helen Fields is an excellent storyteller and plot twister! She combined the two criminal cases to create a perfect balance in the story that I wasn’t able to put down till the last page! There were moments when the hair on my neck literally stood up. Like in the horror movie! I absolutely love Luc Callanach Series and can’t wait for the next one! Totally recommended!